Protein Awareness Campaign reaches Telangana
- India houses 194.6 million protein deficient and undernourished people - the highest in the world - and where more than 65 million children under the age of 5 are stunted
- An average Indian consumes approx 37 gms/day, which is nearly half the levels recommended by WHO
- A person must consume at least 1 gm of Protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day
- India's poultry industry is one of the largest in the world and employs over 25 million people. It contributes Rs. 95,000 crores to the economy each year with Telangana contributing substantially to the figure
October 17, 2015, Hyderabad: Poultry India, an advisory body with a unanimous primary mandate of spearheading the ‘Eat Right, Eat Healthy’ educational campaign, today said its all-India Protein Awareness Campaign has picked substantial momentum following its launch in Pune last month with nutritionists and poultry farmers assisting in propagating the message through various mediums.
The national initiative to educate people on the vital role proteins play in enhancing day-to-day health, fitness and general wellbeing includes an eclectic choice of communication vehicles like road-shows, open house discussion with parents, teachers and school children in urban and semi-urban areas, town-hall meets with village elders and guardians, etc. Poultry India has also begun circulate printed material to retail outlets highlighting the importance of protein and what would be the consequences for the lack of its intake.
It is but natural that the state of Telangana,which is among the country’s largest poultry producers, is the next stop on this campaign. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has recognised poultry as a key sector and has extended help to its farmers through subsidies and increased facilities.India is the third largest egg producer in the world after China and USA and employs over 25 million people. It contributes Rs. 95,000 crores to the economy each year with Telangana contributing substantially to that figure.
One out of every five eggs produced in India is from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.Little wonder then that the Government of India closely worked with Poultry India and its associates to propagateWorld Egg Day on 9th October, 2015 through several eventsincluding essay writing and egg recipe/ cooking competitions for students, women, teachers, as alsocreated awareness on the importance of eggs by distributing flyers and information brochures.
Commenting at the launch Mr. Harish Garware, Executive Committee member, Poultry India, said, “Despite improvement in education levels and poverty elevation India unfortunately is still a malnourished, protein deficient nation and world capital of TB, diabetes and obesity. This is only because our food culture has not yet evolved with times. We do not dispute the importance of protein but none of us are aware how much we need daily and how to fulfill it. We need one gram of protein for every kilogram of our body weight everyday because our body cannot store protein. This is the message Poultry India wants to take forward this in this Protein Awareness campaign for the benefit of all. Prosperity automatically brings in awareness and a shift in our nutritional culture. If you keenly observe, all prosperous countries have eventually shifted from carbohydrate-based to healthy protein rich food culture.”
According to a definitive survey 'Protein Consumption in the Diet of adult Indians Survey' (PRODIGY) published in India highlighted the fact that 80% of all Indians are protein deficient. The survey was conducted in seven major Indian cities among 1,260 respondents and concluded that and as many as 91% vegetarians and 85% non-vegetarians are deficient in proteins.. The epidemic of lifestyle diseases - obesity, diabetes hypertension, and high triglyceride levels - in urban India can also be addressed if Indians increase their dietary protein intake, the survey said. (Ref: http://www.hindustantimes.com/wellness/80-of-indians-suffer-from-protein-deficiency/article1-1354357.aspx
Mr. OP Singh, Core Committee Member, Poultry India said,“Protein cannot be stored. Your body needs it daily. In right quantities.Today, Protein-Energy malnutrition (PEM) in young children is currently the most important nutritional problem that has reached near epidemic status. This often results from consuming food that is low in protein. Through our efforts we are aiming to significantly reduce our nation’s malnutrition and protein deficiency quotient with cost effective and economical source of Proteins which, most importantly, is easily available anywhere in any street corner outlet.”
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) official estimate of India’s diabetic population was 65.1 million. Indian media reported around 67 million diabetics in India in November 2013. That’s dangerously close to IDF’s 2007 prediction of India’s diabetic population in 2025 touching 69.9 million. It seems we are reaching this unsavoury milestone 10 years too early!
By 2030, India will be home to 1.6 billion people, which means overall demand for food will be much higher. Furthermore, while there are many poor in India (roughly 60% of the population), there are also some very rich people, along with a rapidly rising middle class population. Incomes have been rising by 7-8%. Hence there is greater demand not just for more food, but also for better quality food.
Mr. Ranjith Reddy, Managing Director of SR Hatcheries and head of Poultry Breeders Association of Telangana said, “The Protein Awareness Campaign is a worthy project by Poultry India and we applaud it wholeheartedly. I also want to tell you that our Chief Minister Mr. K Chandrashekar Rao has taken measures to ease the burden on the State’s farmers with subsidies on feeds and electricity as also accrediting the poultry industry with an Agriculture Status. This is giving us confidence that our government is backing us in everything we do, especially in the Protein Awareness CampaignThe ‘Eat healthy, Eat Right’ campaign is thus aimed at educating people on the goodness of proteins -- from any source vegetarian or non vegetarian and the important role proteins plays in supporting day-to-day health, fitness and general wellbeing.”
“Our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a worthy campaign Swacch Bharat-Swasst Bharat to educate us on how to stay clean and thus stay healthy. Poultry India wants to support our PM by educating people on eating right, eating healthy. We want to tell them that obesity means various life threatening diseases and that it decreases the quality of life and increases individual and national healthcare costs,” Mr. Ranjith Reddy continued.
Another key highlight of the campaign is highlighting the various sources of proteins in easily available daily foods.
Dal and beans offer protein and tend to be sources of several minerals like potassium and magnesium. On the downside, they offer only a moderate, at best, amount of protein. Digesting dal and beans is not easy, hence many experts recommend limiting its intake quantity for up to 50-60 grams per day.
However, this gives you only 10-11 grams of protein per day which is much less than the recommended daily protein intake of 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight everyday! So if you weigh 70kgs, you need 70gms of proteins everyday!
Indian diets derive almost 60% of their protein from cereals with relatively low digestibility and quality. There have been several surveys of diets and protein intakes in India by the National Nutrition Monitoring Board (NNMB) over the last 25 years in urban and rural, as well as in slum and tribal populations. Data of disadvantaged populations from slums, tribals and sedentary rural Indian populations show that protein intake (mainly from cereals) is about 1 gm/kg/day. However, the protein intake looks less promising in terms of the protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), using lysine as the first limiting amino acid, where all populations, particularly rural and tribal, appear to have an inadequate quality to their protein intake. The quality of egg and chicken protein is complete with all required amino acids for effective utilisation by the body with PDCAAS scores of 1.
If one were to get protein needs from dal alone you would have to consume a huge amount of dal and beans. (See below chart) They contain 25% protein and approx 50% starch or high carbohydrate content, which explains why they’re so hard to digest. Also, beans are rich in protein and starch (requiring different digestive environments and enzymes) and this can make thorough digestion more difficult. While its protein is being digested, starch lies in the stomach and ferments producing gas and toxins making one feel bloated and uneasy.Eggs contain decent amounts of vitamin A, D, E, K, B5, B6, B12, B2 calcium, phosphorus, folate, selenium and zinc. They are highly fulfilling and tend to make eat fewer calories, helping in losing weight.
Below is a table of protein content for various foods:
| Item | Weight in gms | Protein per 100gms | Commodity price per 100gms (Rs approx.) |
| Egg | 100 (2 eggs) | 13.2 | 9 |
| Chicken | 100 | 30 | 15 |
| Mutton | 100 | 26 | 40 |
| Milk (FULL FAT) | 100 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Yogurt | 100 | 5 | 13 |
| Paneer (FULL FAT) | 100 | 11 | 35 |
| Fish | 100 | 22 | 30 |
| Urad Dal | 100 | 24 | 16 |
| Moong Dal | 100 | 24.5 | 16 |
| Tur Dal | 100 | 22 | 16 |
Dr Janaki Srinath, Nationally Acclaimed Nutritionist from Hyderabad said: “Given the risk low protein levels pose to the health of Indians, spreading proteins evenly across meals is extremely important. Combining vegetable, grain, pulses, egg and dairy products gives you a perfect protein intake for the day.
“Consumption of adequate protein ensures strong immune defense, efficient signaling of nerves and impulses, healthy hair and maintenance of fluid balance in the body. Protein can also turn into an energy provider when required by the body. Insufficiency of protein in the body affects all organs and overall growth and development. Probably the most important contribution of protein is its ability to reduce appetite and cause a spontaneous reduction in calorie intake. Protein intake is essential for stages of life leading to a better body composition and metabolic rate in modern sedentary lifestyles. Protein is much more satiating than both fat and carbs”, Dr Janaki added.
Mr D Ram Reddy CMD, Sneha Farms Ltd said, “I am so glad the awareness through Poultry India’s Protein campaign is growing strong. We, the poultry farmers of Telangana, appreciate this campaign and also thank our state government for not only supporting the campaign but also thank our Chief Minister for his help to the poultry sector.”
Notes to the Editor:
What is Protein
Proteins are a group of biological compounds which are present in every live cell, organ and tissue of the body. They are there in the form of enzymes, antibodies, hormones and much more. Meaning ‘first’ or ‘of prime importance’ in Greek, proteins participate in every cellular process occurring in the body. Proteins are responsible for the formation, regulation, repair and protection of the body of each organism. It executes a range of functions within living beings including catalysis of enzymes, DNA replication communication and coordination within the cells, molecular transportation from one location to another. There are 20 amino acids considered essential because the body must have all of them in right amounts to function properly. Twelve of these proteins are manufactured in the body but the other eight amino acids must be provided by diet. Foods from animals sources such as milk or eggs often contain all these essential amino acids, while a variety of plant products must be taken together to provide the body and the mind all these necessary proteins. Good healthy sources of proteins are not hard to find for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Meat eaters can choose from eggs, chicken, cooked lean meat and fish. Vegetarians can choose from nuts, seeds, soy products like tofu, dairy products and legumes including variety of beans and split peas.
Key facts (World Health Organisation)
• Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980
• In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese
• 35% of adults aged 20 and over were overweight in 2008, and 11% were obese
• 65% of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight
• More than 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2012
• Obesity is preventable
• Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2)
• Overweight and obesity are leading risks for global deaths. Around 3.4 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity
• In 2012, more than 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. Once considered a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. In developing countries with emerging economies (classified by the World Bank as lower- and middle-income countries) the rate of increase of childhood overweight and obesity has been more than 30% higher than that of developed countries
• Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. For example, 65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight (this includes all high-income and most middle-income countries)
Visit - http://www.poultryprotein.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Deepa Yadav/ LatikaChindarkar /Akilesh Subramanian
+91 9960496956 / +91 9764858506 / +91 9819995141
